Lon Fon - Courtesy of Lon Fon

Lon Fon - Courtesy of Lon Fon

Kitsch Bar - Courtesy of Kitsch Bar

When the trams are full of incredibly tall foreign girls, when you can’t find a taxi for love or money, when huge black cars with darkened windows appear on every corner, and when the Milan nightlife lasts till dawn, there’s only one reason: fashion week. The "hot" districts of the city become a mecca of glamour and the fashionista circus moves from place to place following its maps of uninhibited coolness.

Whether fashion is in your blood or not, this week we’ve decided to offer you something special – a trip down roads less travelled, almost a slow approach to the city. The ideas come courtesy of a woman who’s Florentine by birth but Milanese by adoption – La Pina, the Pinocchio presenter on Radio Deejay. You can follow her here, where the only style rule is that there aren’t any rules, because "it isn’t beautiful because it works – it’s beautiful because I like it and then it works."

We start – deliberately – at the Kitsch Bar in Corso Sempione, where pink reigns and every day happy hour provides genuine Milanese aperitifs, with an impressive variety to try.

For dinner, we have three great recommendations. For a real family eatery, there’s Franca and Lillo, in Bovisa, where the fish and macaroni starters with sauce and strong ricotta are absolute musts.For pizza, try La Terrazza, in Bettolino di Medaglia, not far from Peschiera Borromeo. The pizza is superb, especially the one with the "cornicone", the crust stuffed with whatever you fancy. For Chinese, there’s Lon Fon, in Via Lazzaretto, which is famous for the quality of the food (their speciality is crab with soya spaghetti) and perfect service.

Talking of things Chinese, for an unpretentious shopping trip, but one that’s definitely fun and good value, the Paolo Sarpi area is a must – you can find all sorts of clothes and jewellery there, and we really mean all sorts. Don’t forget Tong Tong either, a nail bar you can trust. For gold and silver jewellery you can customise – and at reasonable prices – the right place is nove25, in Via Ravizza (in the Fiera area).

Another place on the list – and if she says you can trust it, you can – is The Tattoo Shop in in Via Torricelli, (in the Navigli area). Another gem, especially if you’re a comics fan, is Foto Marvellini. Take in an old family photo and they’ll transform it into a work of art and give your relatives the look of Marvel heroes. You can also find the "Marvellini" in Pietro Sedda’s fantastic Tattoo Parlour.

Last but not least, for anyone who feels a longing about the stage, go and see a performance at theElfo Puccini theatre in Corso Buenos Aires (a stage version of All About My Mother is being performed until 4 March).